Renaissance in Italy, Volume 2 (of 7) / The Revival of Learning

The author chronicles the recovery of Greek and Latin classics in Italy and traces the emergence of humanism, examining how scholars, manuscript collectors, and translators reshaped education, libraries, and literary taste. He surveys the condition of universities and the pre-print book trade, profiles patrons and public libraries that supported study, and considers the interaction between classical learning, religious belief, and the arts. The account emphasizes personal self-culture, the cult of antiquity, and the practical consequences of reviving antiquity for language, biography, scholarship, and civic life.